Are we crazy to get a 4 tier cake?

Wedding cake slices are tiny for what they charge. Many people love cake so if you want it then get it. That sounds pretty expensive unless its gold-leaf covered fondant.

How big are these tiers? That seems to be on par for average cost though.


Our 3 tier cake only served 50-55 people and that would have included our top tier which we ended up saving for ourselves. That cost us $800. We opted to get kitchen cakes for the rest of our guests which helped save us money. It was exactly the same as our tiered cake except not decorated (which actually means it didn’t have fondant which people hate!). But filling and flavors were all the same.

Is that going to be enough?! Or maybe you’re having cupcakes. We should have done a 2 tier, but wanted the look for 3... we only had 20 guests lol but the cost sounds about right...

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6", 8", 10",'12"

I wouldn't 4 tiers is too much.
We are also having our wedding in October 2021, with an approximate guest list of 130 and also went with a 4 tier cake. I know we are going simple with our cake (not a lot of decorations, icing and no fondant) so I know that makes it cheaper for us, but that still sounds a bit more expensive than what it should be for a 4 tier cake.

Are you having "extras" done to the cake (multiple flavors, fillings, decorations) in which would make the price higher? Because if not and that is only charging by the slice that is a rather expensive slice of cake.

View Quoted Comment That should be large enough for all your guests. To be honest, at the last wedding I went to, some people don’t even eat the cake. However, you still want to be prepared in case everyone does!


I’m not sure where you’re holding your wedding, but in my area (Southern California), it’s pretty normal to put down a 50% deposit with the bakery at time of signing contract regardless of when your event date is. Maybe you can work with the bakery to see if they’ll let you do 25% down first and the other 25% in 3 months?

I didn't know this until we started shopping for cake, but a lot of times the huge tiered cake is Styrofoam and the guests are actually served slices of sheet cake. The only layer that is real is the one that the couple cuts into for the photo.

We are doing a 2-tier cake and 2 sheet cakes for that reason. The "stacking fees" and such add up a lot.

View Quoted Comment Typically that's specifically requested to have sheet cakes separate. You're still paying alot for labor charges of decorating and stacking.

It depends on where your located, I am located in Colorado and I am getting quoted 1800 for a 4 tier cake. I would research prices.

So what we are doing, which is going to save you a fortune, is having a two layer cake for just the bridal party and a sheet cake for the rest of the guests. A small cake does not mean you won’t have a gorgeous wedding, but it does make it to where you’re not spending the cost of an entire reception.

To me the cake wasn't that important, so there was no way I'd spend so much on a cake. The least expensive way to serve cake to everyone is to have a small, decorative cutting cake and then a sheet cake that is cut behind the scenes and served to your guests.

Another thing to keep in mind is that tiered and layered cakes require structure. I'd ask your baker about how the cake will be supported. If there is a physical frame that holds the layers in place that's one thing, but if the cake is layer on top of itself then it typically has to be a firmer/denser/tougher/stronger type of sponge to hold the weight of the layers on top of it. I wouldn't want to compromise on having a light, fluffy, moist cake texture and be stuck with something less delicious just so it could be big without collapsing on itself. If I was paying thousands for a cake it better look like a thousand bucks and taste like a thousand bucks.

Wow yeah, that is a lot to put down for a cake, but maybe because of the size, the baker has come up with that amount. If that is what you want go for it girl! I have a 2-tier cake and it's only costing me $250 and that's with it being delivered. Just give some thought on what's the most worth it

View Quoted Comment Make sure the cakes are the same. Not all sheet cakes will have the same structure as a tiered cake. It's not polite to serve yourself and attendants better/different food than your other guests.

That’s a lot of money for cake. What about a 2 tier for you and your FH then have the guests served from a sheet cake

View Quoted Comment It’s also not polite to assume that’s the case.

View Quoted Comment Yeah! See my homegirl who is a baker is doing my two tiered one and we’re having Publix do the sheet cakes. Publix cake is amazing.

View Quoted Comment I think when people refer to “sheet” cake they mean a kitchen cake. It comes from the same bakery and is exactly the same as the tiered cake except it isn’t decorated (fondant-free which in my opinion is better!). At least that’s what our baker did. Our 3-tier cake (all different flavors) was $800 and we got like 3 kitchen cakes (one of each flavor) for $90/each. Saved us hundreds of dollars doing it this way.

View Quoted Comment Some are filled and others are not so it's best to double check just in case.


Personally I have only attended one wedding where a fake cake with sheet/kitchen cakes were served and not only was the cake amazing, it was a big hit how it was served. Though people who heard about it later were horrified it was presented that way. The guests thought the fake cake cutting was super weird but they had 3 flavors of large sheet/kitchen cakes (with filling) that looked like regular grocery store cakes cut in front of guests who could choose which they wanted, mix and match, go back for seconds/thirds. There was enough that guests were served birthday day size slices with cake to spare for the dance later that evening and gift opening the day after.

View Quoted Comment Oh Idk. Our kitchen cake tasted exactly the same as our tiered cake— I know that because I had a slice from both. 😂 our baker did assure us it would be exactly the same except without fondant.


I do agree with you though— couples shouldn’t be having a special bakery cake for themselves and one from a grocery store. That’s weird. I went to a wedding where they cut a small tiered cake but didn’t serve their guests cake so it left us all really confused because we were all waiting for cake. Haha

That is a lot to spend on a cake. We did a 2 tier cake and a full dessert bar for far cheaper than $1450. I would look into other options unless you really want to spend that on cake.